1. Field of the Invention:
The invention pertains to a leg support attached to a crutch and has particular application to, but is not limited to, supporting the leg of a user who has been fitted with any of a variety of leg casts.
2. Discussion of the Background:
As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,543,847 of Hallstedt, it is known to provide a sling, worn by a user, to keep a leg of the user constantly elevated in order to provide "perfect relief" from weight-bearing so that the user may recover from a unilateral leg disease such as Legg-Perthes disease. Such constant elevation may not be necessary for ordinary users of crutches, for example, those recovering from a broken bone or lesion. In such cases, e.g., when one merely desires assistance in supporting the weight of a cast, the constant restraint created by such a sling and the extra manipulation required when standing or sitting may be cumbersome.
The patent of Hallstedt contemplates that the sling will be used together with a conventional pair of crutches. Others have actually attached various forms of leg supports to crutches. Frequently, the leg support is maintained in a substantially fixed position with respect to the crutch, so that the resulting apparatus either is not designed for supporting the leg during the act of walking or, if it is intended for supporting the leg while walking, the leg must nevertheless follow the crutch closely, so that walking becomes cumbersome. Examples are U.S. Pat. No. 2,378,486 of Jones, U.S. Pat. No. 2,778,370 of Chamblee, U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,715 of Monte and U.S. Pat. No. 2,678,054 of Bostelman. Another characteristic of such inventions is that the leg support is often a rigid member and is attached to the crutch at a fairly low position, such as below the hand grip. This adds to the weight that the user must swing when repositioning the crutch and, to that extent, adds undesirable momentum to the crutch at a critical time during its operation, i.e., when the user is preparing to plant the crutch in a new position.
In addition, hardware mounted to the crutch in a manner described above can sometimes get in the way when it is not in use and is often in a position to be bumped unintentionally by the user.
In some cases, for example the patent of Chamblee, the leg support, when mounted on the crutch, is unsuitable for immediate use either with a left leg or a right leg, but not both. The apparatus must be reconfigured in order to change legs.
Where the knee support is substantially curved or otherwise configured to receive a knee or a leg, the configuration may not be appropriately sized or shaped to receive either a leg having a cast or a leg not having a cast.
Some but not all of the above-noted disadvantages have been at least partly addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,585,730 of Bodnar. In particular, there is provided a standard 18 that is pivoted to the shoulder rest 12 of the crutch by a pivot pin 16. Accordingly, the invention of Bodnar can accommodate leg motion during walking. However, there is still provided a solid member that constrains the motion of the leg to a single direction when the leg is moving forward and constrains the motion of the crutch when the crutch is being moved forward. That is, no provision is made for transverse motion of the standard 18 with respect to the crutch 10, and once a motion has begun, either it must be carried through to its completion in the same direction in which it was initiated or the user must attempt to pivot the crutch at its tip. Accordingly, any unintentional leg movement that may occur during the operation of lifting tee crutch, moving it forward and then placing the crutch on the walking surface may jerk the crutch into an unintended position. I addition, the standard 18 may be unwieldy when not in use.